Buddhas are said to have 32 physical signs that distinguish them from ordinary people. One of them is the byakugo, a round protuberance of clockwise-curled silver hair located between the eyebrows. The Buddhas are said to shine light on the people of the world from the byakugo.

Another of the 32 signs of a Buddha is a sapphire-blue eye color. The eyes of the Great Buddha, a glimpse of which can be seen from below the eyelids, are carved essentially perpendicular to the face to give them a peaceful downward gaze.

Cheeks

At the time it was constructed, the Great Buddha was covered in gold, traces of which remain on both cheeks today.

The gentle smile of the Great Buddha evokes the compassion of all of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Lafcadio Hearn (1850–1904) expressed his admiration for the Buddha’s countenance, calling it the “enchanting smile of the East.” The mouth is also adorned with a small moustache reminiscent of Greek sculpture.

In addition to the 32 major signs of a Buddha, which are obvious on sight, there are said to be an additional 80 minor signs. One of these is “a high, straight nose with inconspicuous nostrils.” Accordingly, the bridge of the Great Buddha’s nose falls straight from his forehead, and the nostrils are visible only from directly under the statue.

The Great Buddha’s long pierced earlobes, which fall to the shoulders, are another of the 80 minor signs of a Buddha.

Each Buddha has its own characteristic mudras (hand positions). The Amitabha Buddha’s mudra is two circles formed by his two hands: the index, middle and ring fingers touch while the thumbs and little fingers do not. The Great Buddha’s mudra is slightly unusual in the sense that its thumbs do not rest on top of its index fingers. Amongst the nine different mudras of Amitabha Buddha, this mudra, called the “Jobon-josho-in (uppermost grade of the highest rank)” is considered the highest. Further, in another of the 32 signs of a Buddha, there is a web-like membrane between the Great Buddha’s fingers, known as mammoso.

Standing inside the Great Buddha, one gets a renewed sense of the sophisticated technologies used to cast it. It is clear from the lattice pattern on the interior walls that the Great Buddha was made in a series of 40 separate castings. Furthermore, one can also see that three different variations of the ikarakuri welding technique were used to attach the image’s separately cast parts on different areas of the statue (see “Casting Process”).